Feeding mechanism for forming machines



Jan. 15, 1963 Filed June 20, 1960 G. H. APPEL FEEDING MECHANISM FOR FORMING MACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

GERHARD H. APPEL Q gm ATTORNEYS Jan. 15, 1963 G. H. APPEL FEEDING MECHANISM FOR FORMING MACHINES a Shets-Sheet 2 Filed June 20, 1960 INVENTOR.

GERHARD H. APPEL (mam g M0 ATTORNEYS Jan. 15, 1963 G. H. APPEL FEEDING MECHANISM FOR FORMING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed June 20, 1960 INVENTOR.

GERHARD H. APPEL BY Qdflw @Qm ATTORNEYS 3,073,190 FEEDING MECHANlSh/i EUR FORMING MAQHINES Gerhard H. Appei, Belle River, Ontario, Canada, assignmto Appel Process, Ltd., Oshawa, Ontario, Canada Filed June 20, 1966, Ser. No. 37,324 12 Claims. (Cl. 78-98) This application relates to forming machines and more particularly to the feed part of a forming machine.

A forming machine of the type under consideration is shown in my prior US. Patent No. 2,894,421 of July 14, 1959, whose disclosure is incorporated hereinto by reference. Such a machine generally comprises a plural ty of dies arranged radially to define a throat and which 1ntermittently advance and retract radially towards and away from a workpiece to grip a workpiece in such throat for forming the latter.

In such machines, it is customary to incorporate feed mechanisms which intermittently advance the workpiece longitudinally through the die throat and in preferable cases also intermittently rotate the workpiece in such throat.

Forming machines of such type are generally of the intermittent action, off-beat or out-of-phase type; that 18 to say the dies advance and retract intermittently and the advance-rotation feed is also intermittent, with the syn chronism being such that the dies advance and grip the work between feed-rotation strokes and feedrotation takes place between die advance strokes and during die retrac- 9 tion strokes; and the workpiece is stationary during the moments when it is gripped by the dies.

In such machines, the dies impart a recoil or repulsion force on to the workpiece when they advance to and grip the workpiece.

It is desirable in such machines to cut oh" the torque or rotative force on the workpiece, and likewise to cut off the advance force on the workpiece, at the moment the dies grip the workpiece and an object of the present in vention is to satisfy this desire. Hence, it is an object of the present invention to provide a forming machine of the character described wherein advance force and torque on the workpiece are cut oif during the interval that the dies grip the workpiece and subject it to a repelling force; and likewise wherein advance force and torque on the workpiece are re-established during the in terval that the dies are retracted.

The foregoing object is attained in the machine herein illustrated by the expedient of utilizing the repulsion or recoil force of the dies on the workpiece as a means to destroy momentarily the operative connection between the advance and torque producing means and the workpiece. More specifically, this is accomplished by providing in the machine a clutch between the drive-torque means which creates the advance force and the torque on the workpiece, and the workpiece itself, and the recoil force of the dies is utilized to disengage the clutch. Means are also provided to reengage the clutch as soon as the dies release the workpiece.

It will, of course, be understood that while a conventional mechanical clutch is shown in the drawings hereof, a hydraulic or other form of coupler or clutch may be utilized.

Since it is necessary to reestablish the operative connection between the workpiece and the drive-torque means as soon as the dies retract, means in the form of a clutch spring are provided to reestablish the clutch engagement. While a compression spring is shown as the spring means for this purpose in the drawings hereof, it will be understood that any equivalent means which serves to reestablish the clutch engagement may also be considered as usetatcs atent O ice ful herein, for example, a hydraulic or other fluid expansion and contraction type of spring means.

Still further objects of the invention will best be understood upon reference to the appended drawings which disclose in simple and diagrammatic form the essence of the invention without an attempt however to disclose all the details of design that would be within the skill of the designer.

In these drawings which use reference numbers found in the acompanying text:

FIG. 1 is a plan view, to small scale, of a machine in which is included the novel feed control means of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the machine.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of a part of the feed means.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary elevation view of another part of the feed means.

Referring to the drawings, it will be understood that the feed means hereof is designed for use on a forming machine such as the one shown in my Patent No. 2,894,421. Such forming machine comprises a plurality of radially arranged dies 10 (FIG. 4) having curved faces 10a which define a throat 11 receiving a workpiece 12 in the form of a tube inside which is a mandrel 14 supported on a mandrel rod 15 of the machine.

The machine also includes what is not shown here but is shown in FIG. 2 of my Patent No. 2,894,421 whose disclosure is incorporated into this application by reference, namely, means for intermittently advancing and retracting the dies radially towards and away from the workpiece.

The result is that the dies close in on and release the workpiece intermittently.

As the dies close in on the workpiece, they grip the workpiece with tremendous force. In addition, and this is most significant, because of the curvature of the dies they exert a repulsion force upon the workpiece longitudinally and rearwardly and this repulsion or recoil force is relied upon to control and time the feed operation.

It is understood that in this sort of machine the workpiece is fed longitudinally into or advanced into the die throat and also rotated intermittently as well as advanced intermittently. The primary object of the present invention is to provide a feed mechanism of such a nature that the workpiece rotates in the die throat only while the dies are released or retracted and the torque on the workpiece provided by the feed means is cut off the instant the dies engage and grip the workpiece. In the present mechanism the movement of the dies is relied upon to control and time the feed by cutting off the advance and rotation of the workpiece as soon as the dies grip the workpiece and repel it; and to permit advance and rotation of the workpiece when the dies release the workpiece. It is the movement of the dies that controls and times the feed and rotation of the workpiece. The dies advance and retract intermittently and their motion is translated into a stop and go advance and rotation of the workpiece.

The repulsion or recoil force of the dies upon and acting through the workpiece is relied upon to control the stop and go advance and rotation of the workpiece.

The feed mechanism comprises a longitudinally movable abutment 20, FIGS. 12, which is a large and heavy mass of metal and which is seated as a saddle upon a pair of ways 21 so that it can be advanced and retracted longitudinally along the axis of the die throat 11, the workpiece 12, the mandrel 14, etc., towards and away from the throat. The abutment 20 is moved longitudinally by two horizontally spaced threaded screws 22 which are side by side, with the workpiece axis between them, and which extend the entire length of the feed unit of themachine and are power driven by means including a motor and gear assembly 22a. Nuts 23 (FIG. 3) on the screws are non-rotatably connected to the abutment by means of splines (not shown) to move the abutment longitudinally and continuously and steadily as the screws rotate. The screws may rotate in opposite directions when oppositely threaded to eliminate possible torque on the abutment.

Heavy springs 25 of dished-disk form between nuts 23 and abutment 2t} serve to damp the rearward impact of abutment 20 against nuts 23 as will later be explained.

At this point it is well to mention that because the screws 22 are fixed against longitudinal motion, the nuts 23 threaded thereon and fixed against rotary motion by splines in the abutment 2-3, will advance or retreat as the screws are rotated, for advancing or retracting the abutment 2%, as is conventional in feed mechanisms.

The feed means for the workpiece also includes a torque means in the form of a tube 26 (PEG. 4) mounted in v the abutment and connected to the motor and gear assembly 22a so that the drive tube 26 is constantly rotated and advanced. The advance of the drive tube 26 arises out of the fact that the drive tube 26 is carried by the constantly advancing abutment 20; the drive tube 26 rotates within such abutment. The drive tube 26 is centrally disposed between the two drive screws 22 and is coaxial with the axis of the die throat. Passing through such tube 26 is the mandrel rod 15.

The feed means further comprises an end push tube 2'"? also coaxial with the workpiece 12 and having a serrated or notched forward edge 28 which pushes against the end of the workpiece 12 with the notches or serrations binding the end push tube 27 and the end of the workpiece so that the two pieces are mechanically joined for rotation and so that tube 27 in effect forms a part of the workpiece 12.

The end push tube 27 is firmly connected by a chuck 29 to a flanged or driven cylinder 3% which with parts 12 and 27 forms the driven assembly.

Cylinder 30 has a driven clutch face31 which has a friction face and which engages a driving clutch face 32 on a multiple part drive sleeve 33. Drive clutch face 32'is biased against the driven clutch face 31 by aclutch spring 34 surrounding driven cylinder 30. Spring 34 is shown as a dished disc spring.

Spring 34 reacts against thrust bearings 34:? and through them against nut 35 threaded on driven cylinder 34 Hence, spring 34 acts against the drive face 32 and reacts against the driven parts 31-3t)27-12 through bearings 34a, nut 35, and driven cylinder 30 having driven clutch face 31.

Abutment 2% has a housing 36 having a clear hole 37 in which is located the nut 35.

Drive sleeve 33 is made up of parts 33a and 33b, joined by bolts 33c, and is splined to torque or drive tube 26 by splines 38.

Thrust bearings 39 and 43 separate the outward flange 41 of driven cylinder 31; from drive sleeve 33 and drive sleeve 33 from drive abutment 26.

Operation When the workpiece 12. is gripped by the dies it) as the dies close, the curved faces of the dies produce rearward longitudinal force components opposing advance of the workpiece and imparting to the workpiece a fast and severe impact or repulsion force or recoil force. This force is imparted to the workpiece 12 and through it to the driven tube 27 and through it to the remainder of the driven assembly namely chuck 29, driven cylinder 36 and driven face 31. Such force repels driven face 31 rearwardly a slight amount, with the impact on driven cylinder 30 being imparted to the abutment 20 through the thrust bearings 39 and 4t and the drive sleeve 33, with such impact being damped by the damping springs 25 on screws 22 (FIG. 3).

The declutching which takes place when driven face 31 leaves driving face 32 at once cuts off operative connection between the driven assembly (12-27-29-39-3l) and particularly the workpiece, and the driving assembly or drive means (3233-'25--20) and thus terminates torque on the workpiece at the very moment that the dies grip and repel the workpiece and likewise terminates advance force on the workpiece at such moment.

At the same time the recoil of dies in on workpiece 12 and on driven nuts 35, and bearing 34a, stresses spring 34.

A moment later the dies release the workpiece, and at that moment the spring 34 restores clutch engagement at faces 31-32 and again subjects the workpiece to the forces imparted to it by the constantly advancing drive assembly and particularly drive or torque tube 26 and the torque from such constantly rotating drive tube 26.

Since the only mass to be moved by spring 34 for reclutching is the drive cylinder 33, the spring 34 can be a fairly light spring.

The separation of the clutch faces 31 and 32 need be only a very small amount, just enough to place the clutch faces out of contact and cut off the torque of drivetorque tube 26 on workpiece 12.

The recoil force is absorbed by the heavy large mass abutment 20 and damped by the springs 25. Since abutment 20 is of very large mass and straddles and is supported sturdily on Ways 21 and the recoil force is damped by springs 25, excessive vibration and jarring of the parts is eliminated.

Now having described the construction herein d1sclosed, reference should be had to the claims which follow.

I claim:

1. Feed means for rotating and advancing a rod-like workpiece in repeated, intermittent, increments through dies having curved die faces defining a throat of such form that when the dies close in on the workpiece radially they not only grip it but also repel it; said means comprising a clutch having a continuously rotating and advancing drive face member; and also a driven face member; connecting means operatively and positively connecting the driven face member to the workpiece; and .a spring biasing the clutch face members into clutching engagement; said spring bearing against the driving clutch face member and against said connecting means whereby the dies, repelling the workpiece as they close in on it, cause the repelled workpiece to repel the connecting means momentarily to disengage the driven face member from the driving face. member of the clutch and thus disengage the clutch; and disconnect the driving face member from the workpiece and also to stress the spring, which, a moment later, after the dies release the workpiece, moves the driving face member to the driven face member to reengage the clutch and reconnect the workpiece and the driven clutch face member to the driving clutch face member.

2. Means according to claim 1 wherein the driving face and spring and workpiece are forward of the driven face, and the workpiece part against which the spring bears is also forward of the driven face; with the driven face moving rearwardly when the workpiece is repelled by the dies.

3. Feed means for rotating a rod-like workpiece in repeated intermittent increments through dies having curved die faces defining a throat of such form that when the dies close in on the workpiece radially they not only grip it but also repel it; said means comprising a continuously rotating drive face of a clutch; a driven face of such said clutch being operatively connected to the workpiece; and a spring biasing the clutch faces into clutching engagement; said spring bearing against the driving clutch face and against what is in effect a workpiece part; whereby the dies repelling the workpiece as they close in on it, move the workpiece and the driven clutch face momentarily to disengage the clutch and thus disconnect the workpiece and the driven clutch face from the driving clutch face; and also to stress the spring, which, a moment later, reengages the clutch, and reconnects the workpiece and the driven clutch face to the driving clutch face.

4. Feed means for advancing a rod-like workpiece rotatably in repeated intermittent advance increments through dies having curved die faces defining a throat of such form that when the dies close in on the workpiece radially they not only grip the work but also repel it; said means comprising a clutch; continuously advancing and rotating drive means; means operatively connecting the drive means to a forward face of said clutch, with the connection between the drive means and such clutch face of a form requiring the forward clutch face to rotate with the drive means continuously; means operatively connecting said workpiece to a rear face of said clutch, said workpiece being positioned forwardly of said clutch; an abutment of great mass to the rear of the clutch; means for continuously advancing the abutment; said abutment being connected to the drive means in a manner to permit hte drive means to rotate relative to the abutment while they both advance together; and a compression spring means bearing rearwardly against the forward face of the clutch and bearing forwardly against the rear of a part in effect forming part of the workpiece; said spring normally biasing said forward clutch face rearwardly into engagement with said rearward clutch face; whereby the following cycle takes place; as the abutment and drive means steadily advance and the drive means steadily rotates, with the spring expanded and the clutch faces engaged, the clutch and workpiece rotate and advance one increment while the dies are retracted; then, when the dies advance, they grip the workpiece to stop its advance and rotation and also repel the workpiece and rear clutch face until these are stopped by the engagement of the rear of the rear clutch face against the abutment; and at the same time the spring is compressed; whereupon the rear clutch face and the forward end of the spring are momentarily stopped from advance and rotation; but the forward clutch face and the drive means continue to rotate for a moment until the dies release the work, whereupon the compressed spring expands and moves' the workpiece and the rear clutch face forwardly to engage the clutch faces once more; the abutment and drive means all the while steadily advancing and, in the case of the drive means, steadily rotating.

5. Means according to claim 4 wherein the drive means is a central rod-like member journalled in the abutment but advancing with it; with the rear clutch face being the forward face of a flange of an outwardly flanged tube telescoped around the axis of the drive means, and with the forward clutch face being the rear face of a flange of an inwardly flanged tube telescoped around the flange of the first named tube; and with a collar in the longitudinal space between the flange of the first named tube and the abutment and telescoped around the drive means and inside the second named tube; and with splines connecting the drive means to the collar and the collar to the second named tube, to permit longitudinal motion of the drive meansabutment unit, relative to the second named tube; there being a damping spring behind the abutment for damping the recoil of the first named tube against the abutment which is caused by the recoil of the first named tube against the collar and through it against the abutment; the clutch spring surrounding the first named tube and disposed between the forward abutment thereof and the forward clutch face; said first named tube being chucked to the workpiece forward of it to be, in effect, part of it.

6. Feed means for rotating and advancing a rod-like workpiece in repeated intermittent increments through dies having curved faces defining a throat of such form that when the dies close in on the workpiece radially they not only grip it but also repel it; said means comprising a continuously rotating and advancing drive means; a clutch connecting the drive means to the workpiece; and a spring constantly urging clutch engagement; the clutch being so connected to the workpiece and so arranged that when the dies close in on the workpiece to grip and repel it, the recoil force of the dies momentarlly disengages the clutch to disconnect the workpiece from the drive means; and simultaneously stresses the spring so that the latter is in condition to reengage the clutch upon release of the workpiece by the dies a moment after the clutch has been disengaged.

7. Means according to claim 6, the clutch spring and workpiece being forward of the clutch so that the clutch is engaged by rearward thrust of the spring and is disengaged by rearward thrust of the dies on the workpiece.

8. A feed means for a forming machine for forming a rod-like workpiece in a die throat formed of opposed radial dies whose working inner faces are curved to define the die throat; said die throat being of such form that when the dies close in on the workpiece radially, they not only grip the workpiece, but also repel it;

said feed means intermittently rotating and advancing said workpiece in said die throat;

said feed means disconnecting itself from the workpiece automatically when the dies grip the workpiece, utilizing the repelling force of the dies on the workpiece to effect such disconnection; said feed means comprising a constantly rotating drive means; clutch means releasably connecting the drive means and the workpiece; clutch spring means for urging the clutch means to connect the drive means and the workpiece; and means for operatively connecting the workpiece and the clutch means in such a manner that workpiece repulsions forces caused by the dies cause release of the clutch means and disengagement of the connection between the workpiece and the drive means.

9. A feed means for a machine for forming a rod-like workpiece in a die throat formed by opposed dies with working inner faces which are curved to define a die throat of such form that when the dies close in on the workpiece radially, they not only grip it but also repel it;

said feed means intermittently rotating and advancing said workpiece in said die throat; said feed means disconnecting itself from the workpiece automatically when the dies grip the workpiece, utilizing the repelling force of the dies on the workpiece to effect such disconnection;

said feed means including a clutch having a driven face member, and also a continuously rotating and advancing driving face member; connecting means operatively and positively connecting the driven face member to the workpiece; and a spring biasing the clutch face members into clutching engagement; said spring bearing against the driving face member and reacting against said connecting means whereby the dies, repelling the workpiece as they close in on it, cause the repelled workpiece to repel the connecting means momentarily and thus momentarily disengage the driven face member from the driving face member of the clutch and thus momentarily disengage the clutch, thus to disconnect the driving face member from the workpiece; the repelling force of the dies, repelling the workpiece and the connecting means, serving also to stress the spring, which, a moment later, after the dies have released the workpiece moves the driving face member to the driven face member to reengage the clutch and reconnect the driven clutch face member and thus the workpiece to the driving clutch face member.

10. A construction according to claim 9 wherein the driving face member is located between the driven face member and the connecting means and workpiece and dies, with the driving face of the driving face member 7 facingrearwardly and-the driven face of the .driven face member facing forwardly, i.e.,=towards the dies.

11. A construction according to claim 10 wherein the spring is forward of-the driving face member and biases it rearwardly.

12. A construction according to claim 10 wherein the connecting means is of tubular formhaving an outward rearward flange forming the driven face member; and wherein the driving face member is an ihward'forw'ard flange of a tubular member surrounding the driven face member, with the two 'flanges being alined and with the spring between the two flanges.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Price Nov. 3, Niedhammer Jan. 24, Crichton July 21, Kralowetz May 28, Carlson Oct. 14, 

1. FEED MEANS FOR ROTATING AND ADVANCING A ROD-LIKE WORKPIECE IN REPEATED, INTERMITTENT, INCREMENTS THROUGH DIES HAVING CURVED DIE FACES DEFINING A THROAT OF SUCH FORM THAT WHEN THE DIES CLOSE IN ON THE WORKPIECE RADIALLY THEY NOT ONLY GRIP IT BUT ALSO REPEL IT; SAID MEANS COMPRISING A CLUTCH HAVING A CONTINUOUSLY ROTATING AND ADVANCING DRIVE FACE MEMBER; AND ALSO A DRIVEN FACE MEMBER; CONNECTING MEANS OPERATIVELY AND POSITIVELY CONNECTING THE DRIVEN FACE MEMBER TO THE WORKPIECE; AND A SPRING BIASING THE CLUTCH FACE MEMBERS INTO CLUTCHING ENGAGEMENT; SAID SPRING BEARING AGAINST THE DRIVING CLUTCH FACE MEMBER AND AGAINST SAID CONNECTING MEANS WHEREBY THE DIES, REPELLING THE WORKPIECE AS THEY CLOSE IN ON IT, CAUSE THE REPELLED WORKPIECE TO REPEL THE CONNECTING MEANS MOMENTARILY TO DISENGAGE THE DRIVEN FACE MEMBER FROM THE DRIVING FACE MEMBER OF THE CLUTCH AND THUS DISENGAGE THE CLUTCH; AND DISCONNECT THE DRIVING FACE MEMBER FROM THE WORKPIECE AND ALSO TO STRESS THE SPRING, WHICH, A MOMENT LATER, AFTER THE DIES RELEASE THE WORKPIECE, MOVES THE DRIVING FACE MEMBER TO THE DRIVEN FACE MEMBER TO REENGAGE THE CLUTCH AND RECONNECT THE WORKPIECE AND THE DRIVEN CLUTCH FACE MEMBER TO THE DRIVING CLUTCH FACE MEMBER. 